Chapter 10: Western Musical Instruments Flashcards
Bow
A slightly curved stick with hair or fibers attached at both ends, drawn over the strings of an instrument to set them in motion. (page 38)
Pluck
To sound the strings of an instrument using fingers or a plectrum or pick. (page 38)
Violin
Soprano, or highest-ranged, member of the bowed-string instrument family. (page 38)
Viola
Bowed-string instrument of middle range; the second-highest member of the violin family. (page 39)
Double
To perform the same notes with more than one voice or instrument, either at the same pitch level or an octave higher or lower. (page 39)
Cello
Bowed-string instrument with a middle-to-low range and dark, rich sonority; lower than a viola. Also violoncello. (page 39)
Violoncello
See cello. (page 39)
Double Bass
Largest and lowest-pitched member of the bowed string family. Also contrabass or bass viol. (page 39)
Contrabass
See double bass. (page 39)
Legato
Smooth and connected; opposite of staccato. (page 39)
Staccato
Short, detached notes, marked with a dot above them. (page 39)
Pizzicato
Performance direction to pluck a string of a bowed instrument with the finger. (page 39)
Glissando
A rapid slide through pitches of a scale. (page 39)
Tremolo
Rapid repetition of a note; can be achieved instrumentally or vocally. (page 39)
Trill
Ornament consisting of the rapid alternation between one note and the next. (page 39)
Double-stop
Playing two notes simultaneously on a string instrument. (page 39)
Mute
Mechanical device used to muffle the sound of an instrument. (page 40)
Harmonics
Individual, pure sounds that are part of any musical tone; in string instruments, crystalline pitches in the very high register, produced by lightly touching a vibrating string at a certain point. (page 40)
Harp
Plucked-string instrument, triangular in shape with strings perpendicular to the soundboard. (page 40)
Arpeggio
Broken chord in which the individual pitches are sounded one after another instead of simultaneously. (page 40)
Guitar
Plucked-string instrument originally made of wood with a hollow, resonating body and a fretted fingerboard; types include acoustic and electric. (page 40)
Acoustic Guitar
A guitar designed for performance without electronic amplification. (page 40)
Electric Guitar
A guitar designed for electronic amplification. (page 40)
Banjo
Plucked-string instrument with round body in the form of a single-headed drum and a long, fretted neck; brought to the Americas by African slaves. (page 40)
Mandolin
Plucked-string instrument with a rounded body and fingerboard; used in some traditional musics and in country-western music. (page 40)
Flute
Soprano-range woodwind instrument, usually made of metal and held horizontally. (page 41)